Famille à louer

Very nice and refreshing take on the christmas film genre - and funnier than most.

One for the ones who need a break from to much sappy and boring stuff.

Maybe not for the easily offended by anyone poking at traditional values, or those with grudges against the actors for some reason - but they are probably stuck rewatching the mushy stuff over and over again anyway.

Great cast.

For those hating Afflec in these Review - wake up. You're missing the point. He's not tryng to be funny or going for a Jim Carrey approach - and that's what makes this work.

Wonderful ladies, great to see Selby again, and Gandolfini is a gem.

My kind of christmas movie.

Good entertainment.

Thumbs up.

Surviving Christmas

A ridiculous and perverse premise has somehow made its way onto cinema screens this Christmas. Just like Christmas With The Kranks and The Polar Express, Surviving Christmas winds towards a festive moral that aims to fill the audience with yuletide cheer. The execution of said moral in this particular seasonal release is highly questionnaire but unmistakably funny.

Surviving Christmas has been slammed by the critics remorselessly. Nobody seems to have liked this twisted retelling of the story of Scrooge, and I believe I have found the answer: nobody likes Ben Affleck.

Affleck plays a rich ad executive who pays a dysfunctional family to take him in and make Christmas just how it was when he was a child. This seriously strange idea could, in the right hands, been a gross out smash hit in the Farrely brothers style. Instead, Mike Mitchell decides to take the whole thing a little too seriously and what results is a comedy that is uncomfortable with itself. As a result the actors are left unsure whether to play their characters straight or exaggerated. This can be all be blamed on the script, or lack thereof. Filming took place without a finished draft, and thus, parts of the film were improvised and unfunny material remains in the final cut.

Nevertheless, there are many positive attributes to this genre subverting film. James Gandolfini is very entertaining as the constantly resentful Tom Valco whose only vice, in true Christmas spirit, is money.

Ben Affleck style in comedic roles is disliked by many, but his specific brand of humour is allowed to thrive in this unnatural plot and situation driven comedy. The character of the son (Josh Zuckerman) is underdeveloped, as is the family's relationship with its neighbours, but again the unfinished script can be held accountable.

Surviving Christmas is by no means a great film, but it is certainly not as bad as it has been labelled. Unfortunately, most won't get a chance to decide for themselves until this film is released on DVD as it was grossly under marketed in the UK. An offbeat comedy and a genuine step forward for the Scrooge remakes that when given the chance to shine in its own right, works quite well.

The cast of Surviving Christmas is a sort of hodge-podge of actors/actresses. I could not have imagined ever casting them together, but it works well in the movie. It is better than the average feel-good Christmas movie, but not destined to be a classic. The comedy is well dispursed throughout, and the movie moved along at a good pace. I have seen plenty of holiday movies, but never imagined one with Ben Affleck. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I have seen an Affleck movie. (I have shunned them on purpose in the past - Well, OK, I did like Dazed and Confused). The movie, however, is entertaining, and only a few jokes fall flat. 7 out of 10 on the holiday scale.

Online.. I've seen so many people talk about bad acting and just not funny. Sometimes I wonder if they're watching a completely different movie. This movie had me smiling from beginning to end. The acting was not poor at all. James Gandolfini was perfect and played off of Ben Affleck really well. Honestly.. I think maybe people might be just looking at reviews for like the box office and not even giving the movie a chance.. that's the only explanation I have for why someone would give this movie a bad review.

I came across this movie during the 2021 Christmas season.. I had heard about it before.. when it first came out and never had the opportunity to watch it. The movie kind of slipped my mind until I saw it available on a streaming service in 2021. Really enjoyed it! Had to be sure to watch it this year as well. :-). This movie will become a new Christmas tradition for me.

A good way to describe Ben Affleck's performance ishow Doo-Dah's performance as Ebenezer Scrooge was described late in the movie. "He's not bad." "He's not that good, either." I may not be remembering that exactly, but it's close.

It's also never explained why Drew has so much money. He doesn't seem to be very good at his job, which led me to believe maybe a relative owned the company and he got an inheritance. But his family situation, explained late, which I will not give away, does not make this very likely. I will only say wherever his money came from, he doesn't have anyplace to go.

But nearly everyone else does a good job.

Christina Applegate is the standout performer here, with Alicia always giving everyone attitude until she finally gets to the point where she can stand Drew. If the movie was being made today, Kaley Cuoco would be perfect in the role. That's how similar their styles are.

James Gandolfini is so good as the overly protective but greedy father. No, he doesn't want this loser around ... oh, wait, you have money? Come on in, son. Tom doesn't continue his generous attitude without conditions, but more money could change his mind.

I saw the name Jennifer Morrison and then forgot about her, but she's not a blonde here. She was so good for so many years as Emma Swan, the real-world daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who was sent across a portal and eventually met her parents in the same real world. She's not that easy to like here, and while one expects her to be a minor character after what appears to be a breakup, she will be back. She's actually quite good (Emma too had an attitude) but greedy and shallow, and do we really want that for Drew?

Last night I saw Bill Macy as Walter for the first time in years as Norman Lear was honored by the Kennedy Center. That was nice, and it's always good to see him. Doo-Dah is the nickname of Drew's "Grandpa" (the reason for the quotes I will not reveal), and despite what they said about him as Scrooge, he is pretty good here.

And I will say this about "A Christmas Carol". Everyone in that does such a good job. I especially liked Ghost of Christmas Present. Too bad they have only a few lines.

It's fun to watch Drew's scheme almost fall apart in several scenes, and to see his family struggle to keep his secret when it becomes necessary.

The son in Drew's "family" spends lots of time on the computer and looks at porn--and one image is particularly inappropriate but it's better if you learn why by watching--so this is one of several reasons most kids shouldn't see this.

Yes, it's silly, and it's formula, and it's not quite family-friendly, but it's fun.